Adidas Feeling Derrick Rose's Thorns

In 2012 Adidas signed Derrick Rose to a 13 year, $185 million contract with potential growth from product sales.  At the time, this was a smart move by Adidas.  Rose was already loyal to Adidas, having released 4 signature sneakers (adizero 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5) since 2010.  Not to mention, he had just won the MVP award for the 2010-11 season, and was the youngest player in NBA history to do so at 22 years of age.

We all know the sad story of what happened next.  Rose tore his ACL during the playoffs, LeBron grabbed his first ring, and everyone forgot about Rose.  Following the ACL tear, Adidas launched their "Return" campaign only to watch D Rose go through another surgery.

However, in order to understand Derrick's situation completely we must go back in time.  Before Rose and Adidas signed this contract, and even before the invention of basketball, the Mayans created a calendar that led us to believe the world would end in 2012.  It is my hypothesis that we were reading this calendar all wrong.  The Mayans were actually predicting the end of the Rose era.

Fast forward to today, Rose will be going through another surgery for his torn meniscus, and Adidas will be wondering why they didn't pay attention to the Mayan calendar.  It will be interesting to see what happens next for Rose and Adidas.  Will Adidas continue to release his signatures and apparel, will they give up due to a drop in sales, or will Rose finally return and reclaim his title as the MVP?